Cypress Semiconductor Corp. today announced it has begun sampling the industry's first Quad Data Rate II+ (QDR II+) and Double Data Rate II+ (DDRII+) SRAM devices. The new memory chips enable up to 50 percent more system-level bandwidth than existing QDRII and DDRII products, according to the company. The devices accelerate read/write capabilities in a variety of data-intensive applications, including switches, routers, servers, storage appliances, wireless basestations and test equipment.

Operating at speeds up to 500 MHz, the QDRII+ and DDRII+ products offer a higher bandwidth than QDRII and DDRII respectively - up to 72 Gbps, while using the same footprints and a 165-pin, FBGA (Fine-pitch Ball Gate Array) package. The devices are supported by the QDR consortium and will be pin-compatible with products from the other consortium members NEC, IDT, Renesas and Samsung. Cypress's QDRII+/DDRII+ SRAMs are manufactured using Cypress's 90-nm RAM9 process technology.

"Being first to market with QDRII+ products demonstrates Cypress's continued commitment to maintaining a leadership role in the worldwide SRAM market," said Mathew Arcoleo, product marketing director in Cypress's Memory and Imaging Division. "These devices give manufacturers the density and performance necessary to expand network capabilities and services."

Cypress's 72 Mbit QDRII+/DDRII+ products are sampling now, with production starting in the second half of 2006. Pricing will be announced at that time. www.cypress.com/QDRII+photo.